


longing for what used to be

by avapacifica



Series: October Writing Challenge 2020 [13]
Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Anger, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Black Eye, Bonding, Bruises, Bullying, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Not Beta Read, Protectiveness, Revenge, Wishes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:04:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27000124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avapacifica/pseuds/avapacifica
Summary: when jareth said toby could call him at any time, this isn’t what he had in mind
Relationships: Jareth & Toby Williams, Jareth/Sarah Williams
Series: October Writing Challenge 2020 [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948126
Comments: 2
Kudos: 45





	longing for what used to be

**Author's Note:**

> Day 13: Warning  
> title is from an Offspring song

It was all easier when Sarah was here. Some boys had been bothering him when he was in third grade, and when he had told her she hadn’t gone to his parents or teachers. No, Sarah had told off the bullies herself. Toby was a child then though. Now he’s in 7th grade, he  _ should  _ be able to fight his own battles. 

It’s not his fault that he’s smaller than the rest of them. It’s not his fault that Sarah had beef with one of their sisters, and for some god forsaken reason the brother a year above him thought it was his duty to finish it. All he wants to do is go to school like a normal kid, but he always finds himself walking down the wrong hall, or being in the bathroom at the wrong time. 

Toby has a black eye, and he’s crying in his bed trying to figure out a way to hide it from his parents. He knows Sarah despises his mom going through her old things, but he really wants to check her attic boxes to search for any leftover makeup she hadn’t brought to the Underground. The first step to any of this though, is to stop crying, and he can’t even get that down.

He so badly wishes Sarah still lived with him. It wouldn’t be fair to her, she’s happier now and he knows that. His parents are too old to understand what he’s going through. Sarah would understand, and more importantly, would know how to help. He’s screaming into his pillow, (another thing Sarah taught him) when he gets the idea to call upon Jareth.

Sarah had told him never to wish for anything from Jareth, that no matter how close their bond was, she didn’t doubt he would try to trick Toby. But he hadn’t done anything to the boy before, and in his mind, he’s trapped. What he goes through at school is quite possibly the worst thing he’s experienced in his life.

“I wish the Goblin King would come and take me away.” Toby whispers. He doubts it’ll work, since he’s never tried it before and known how seriously Jareth takes oaths. 

“As much as I’d love to bring you home, Sarah would kill me.” Jareth chuckles, sitting in Toby’s windowsill. He jumps in his bed, having expected more of a commotion. Sarah had described goblins ruining his room, an owl crashing into the windows. This is quieter. Maybe his sister has tamed the king. 

“Not even for a little bit?” Toby sniffles. Jareth shakes his head, and he goes back to crying into his pillow. Jareth walks over to the bed, awkwardly patting him on the back. He isn’t the best at dealing with older children. It had been so easy to captivate Toby as a baby, he wishes it was as simple now.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather have your sister here?” Comforting him seems like something his wife would have more success with.

“No.” Toby whines. “That’s embarrassing. When she was my age she was probably awesome and never got made fun of.” Jareth doesn’t find it funny exactly, Sarah had told a fair share of stories of the way people used to treat her poorly in school. He won’t comment on the being made fun of bit, but he’s open to teasing a little on the ‘awesome’ part. 

“When Sarah was your age, she was clumsy and a nerd. Haven’t you seen the pictures?” Toby shakes his head, of course she’d hide them away. “Ask Irene for them, I’m sure she knows where they are.” Toby laughs a little into his blanket, a small victory on Jareth’s part.

“Come now, spit it out. What’s bothering you so much that you wished your life away.” There’s no point in hiding it, even still Toby doesn’t want to.

“There’s some boys at school…” Jareth raises his eyebrows, not really understanding where it’s going. “They bother me every day.” And for the first time since he arrived, Toby reveals his face. The black eye is swollen from crying, but even without the tears you can still tell how deep it is. Jareth is absolutely furious. Who would dare hurt the King’s brother in law?

To keep himself from showing it, he places a hand over the hurt eye. When he pulls it away, the bruise retreats into the skin, erasing itself from existence. Toby touches around it, and it doesn’t sting anymore. His eyes are also surprisingly dry. 

“Don’t fret about them, I’ll take care of it.” Jareth assures the boy. Toby sits up next to him, happy to not be physically upset anymore.

“What are you gonna do?” He asks.

“I can kill them if you’d like.” So much for Sarah taming him. Toby’s eyes widen, not knowing how to even respond to something like that. Jareth laughs. “I kid, I kid. I will be talking to them though.” He summons a coin to his person, placing it in Toby’s hands. 

“Next time you know something is going to happen, drop this coin on the ground and I will be summoned.” Toby nods, too shocked to say thank you. “I must be going though. It’s my night to cook dinner, and if I pawn the majority of it off on the goblins Sarah  _ will  _ find out.” He then mutters. “I will never understand how she knows.” She probably has spies in the kitchen.

“Can you tell her I said hi?” Toby asks, putting the coin in his pocket. Jareth nods. Toby glances down, and when he looks back up he’s gone.

He doesn’t have to wait too long to use his gift, and he isn’t sure if that’s good or bad at first. The bully and his goons have cornered Toby in the bathroom, and there really is no escape.

“What’d you cover my work with?” He asks, rubbing at Toby’s face, assuming that the only explanation was makeup. Boy was he in for a surprise. Toby fumbles in his pocket, dropping the coin on the tiled floor. “Oh, is this for me?” The bully asks. He goes to pick it up, but it’s stuck to the ground.

“No, I’m afraid it’s not.” Jareth walks out of a stall, wrinkling his nose at his surroundings. “What’s his name?” He asks Toby.

“Lucas.” He tells him, not able to make eye contact with anyone in the room.

“What, did you bring your gay little bodyguard with you?” It’s a little ironic, considering he towers over the group of boys.

“Bisexual brother, but here to help him nonetheless.” He takes a step closer to Lucas, and grips his shoulder menacingly. “You’re not going to bother Toby anymore, or anyone else for that matter. Because if I catch wind of you doing so, you will most definitely regret it.” Jareth’s magic sends a feeling of dread into the bully, one that makes him understand the severity of the situation. It doesn’t take long for him to abandon his friends behind him. One look to those two, and they’re on his tail.

Some might say that threatening children is not in good taste, but after the abuse Toby has suffered at their hands, Jareth considers it more than fair. Toby hugs him, and he knows what he did was right.

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you enjoyed! kudos and comments are always appreciated, feedback makes my day!


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